Wire twisting machine

ABSTRACT

A wire twisting machine including a base, a wire winding frame rotatably mounted on the base, a first wire containing spool mounted on the base, a guide arrangement on the frame for receiving wire as it is uncoiled from said first spool, a second wire containing spool, mounting means for mounting said second spool rotatably on said frame so that the second spool may be held stationary while said frame rotates and carries the wire from said first spool around the second spool so as to twist the two wires to form a strand at a location remote from the frame, and magnetic means for controlling the position of the second spool including a selsyn unit including a stator mounted on said base and a rotor mounted on the mounting means so as to cause said second spool to remain stationary or to selectively move so as to rotate the wire being uncoiled therefrom about its longitudinal axis to compensate for any twisting of the wire, with the wire guiding means comprising a tube which extends into the space between the rotor and stator so as to be able to rotate with the frame without engaging the stator. Alternatively, the magnetic means may comprise a magnet mounted in spaced relationship to the mounting means for attracting magnetic material on the mounting means to thereby maintain the mounting means stationary while the frame rotates. A sensing arrangement may be associated with the mounting means to detect whether it moves more than a predetermined amount. Instead of the magnetic means, the mounting means may be of such a configuration that it is acted on by gravity to keep it in a relatively stationary position as the frame rotates. If desired, the first spool can also have a magnetic arrangement such as a selsyn unit associated therewith to impart a predetermined rotation to the first spool to compensate for any twist which the wire emanating therefrom has around its longitudinal axis, or alternatively, a mechanical feed may be provided to the first spool to affect such rotation.

United States Patent [191 Kopczynski 1 June 26, 1973 WIRE TWISTING MACHINE [76] Inventor: John F. Kopczynski, 1671 Sweeney St., North Tonawanda, NY. 14120 [22] Filed: Dec. 28, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 101,754

[52] US. Cl 57/58.36, 57/5834, 57/5872, 57/5876 [51] Int. Cl D07b 3/04 [58] Field of Search 57/5836, 58.38, 57/58.72, 58.76, 58.81, 104, 34 R, 58.34

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I 2,499,258 2/1950 Pierce 57/5836 X 2,671,303 3/1954 Pearce 57/5836 X 2,147,065 2/1939 Somerville 57/5838 1,907,551 5/1933 Kraft 57/58.8l X 3,425,203 2/1969 Schillebeeck. 57/5838 X 3,456,433 7/1969 Huwaert 57/104 X Primary Examiner-Donald E. Watkins Attorney-Sommer, Weber & Gastel 5 7 ABSTRACT stationary while said frame rotates and carries the wire from said first spool around the second spool so as to twist the two wires to form a strand at a location remote from the frame, and magnetic means for controlling the position of the second spool including a selsyn unit including a stator mounted on said base and a rotor mounted on the mounting means so as to cause said second spool to remain stationary or to selectively move so as to rotate the wire being uncoiled therefrom about its longitudinal axis to compensate for any twisting of the wire, with the wire guiding means comprising a tube which extends into the space between the rotor and stator so as to be able to rotate with the frame without engaging the stator. Alternatively, the magnetic means may comprise a magnet mounted in spaced relationship to the mounting means for attracting magnetic material on the mounting means to thereby maintain the mounting means stationary while the frame rotates. A sensing arrangement may be associated with the mounting means to detect whether it moves more than a predetermined amount. Instead of the magnetic means, the mounting means may be of such a configurationthat it is acted on by gravity to keep it in a relatively stationary position as the frame rotates. If desired, the first spool can also have a magnetic arrangement such as a selsyn unit associated therewith to impart a predetermined rotation to the first spool to compensate for any twist which the wire emanating therefrom has around its longitudinal axis, or alternatively, a mechanical feed may be provided to the first spool to affect such rotation.

15 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED Jlll26 I915 MEIZIIFS mmrmmasm 3.740.938

'SIEI h 0f 5 INVENTOR.

AT T ORNE K5.

WIRE TWISTING MACHINE The present invention relates to an improved wire twisting machine.

In the copending application of John F. Kopczynski, Ser. No. 68,358, filed Aug. 31, 1970, an improved wire twisting machine is disclosed which mounts wire containing spools in such a manner so that these spools are held against rotation except for that rotation which occurs incidental to the unwinding of the wire therefrom. This permits the wire to be unwound directly from the spools on which they are shipped, rather than requiring that they be mounted on special spools associated with the twisting machine. Furthermore, by holding the spools relatively stationary,undesirable unbalances in the twisting machine are obviated. The wire twisting machine of the above mentioned copending application utilizes a planetary gearing arrangement, or its mechanical equivalent, to hold the spools against rotation during rotation of the wire twisting frame. It is with an improvement over the foregoing type of machine that the present invention is concerned.

It is accordingly one important object of the present invention to provide an improved wire twisting machine in which at least one of the wire containing spools is mounted for controlled movement, which includes maintaining it stationary or rotating it a predetermined amount by means other than direct mechanical connections, which means includes magnetic devices associated with the spool.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved wire twisting machine in which either one or both of the normally stationary wire-containing spools can be rotated individually and independently of the other in either direction so that the wire being unwound from either of said spools can be rotated about its longitudinal axis so as to compensate for undesired twisting of the wires.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved wire twisting machine in which one of the spools is held against undesired rotation by means of gravity, while the wire twisting frame rotates relative thereto.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved wire twisting machine which includes a sensing arrangement so as to detect whether a wire containing spool rotates an undesired excessive amount. Other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will readily be perceived hereafter.

The improved wire twisting machine of the present invention comprises a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length'of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotating except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means including magnetic means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said-frame, and third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wire from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wire as said frame rotates.

The magnetic means noted above may comprise a selsyn unit associated with the second spool for either holding the spool stationary or imparting a predetermined amount of rotation thereto to compensate for any twisting which occurs in the wire about its own axis as it is being unwound. A second selsyn unit may also be associated with the first spool for the same purpose. The selsyn units may be used to rotate the first and second spools in any desired direction of rotation independently of each other, so that either spool may be rotated in a forward or backward direction, or held stationary.

The magnetic means, instead of being a selsyn system can comprise a magnet mounted in spaced relationship to magnetic material which mounts the spool, with a space therebetween for permitting the wire to pass therethrough. Instead of using magnetic means for controlling movement of the spool, the second means may be of a configuration so that it assumes a predetermined position by gravity and holds this position notwithstanding that it is mounted on the frame which rotates.

The various aspects of the present invention will be more fully understood when the following portions of the specification are read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the improved wire twisting machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary schematic view of the control arrangement for the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 which is used for holding the spools against rotation while the wires are uncoiled therefrom and for imparting any desired amount of twisting motion to the wires being twisted;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and showing the internal construction of the rotating frame, with certain parts being omitted in the interest of clarity;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view, similar to FIG. 1 but showing another modification of the present invention in which one of the spools is held against rotation by means of gravity;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 5 and showing a control arrangement for sensing whether the spool has rotated beyond a predetermined point;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a further embodiment of the present invention which has a magnetic arrangement for preventing rotation of one of the spools and a gear arrangement for imparting controlled rotation to the other of the spools;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 and showing a magnet arrangement for holding one of the spools against rotation;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view showing that the wires which are being twisted around each other are not rotated about their individual axes; and

FIG. 10 is a view of the face of the plate in the twisting head through which the wires pass.

Basically, in twisting wires into a strand it is required that the wires be maintained in the same orientation in all positions thereof in the sense that wires are not twisted about their longitudinal axes, which could result in the undesirable distortion of the wires themselves as well as the cracking of any insulation or coating thereon. More specifically, as can be seen from FIG. 9, wire A lies over wire B and reference point X on wire A is at the top and reference point Y on wire B is also located at the top. During twisting, wire A is moved bodily in the direction of arrow about center 1 1 so that at the lowermost point in its travel it will occupy the position occupied by wire B in FIG. 9. However, in moving from its original position at the uppermost portion of FIG. 9 to its lowermost position, reference point X on wire A remains uppermost at all times. This indicates that wire A itself does not rotate about its longitudinal axis in moving from the top of FIG. 9 to the bottom in the direction of arrow 10. During twisting, wire B moves from the lowermost position shown in FIG. 9 to the position previously occupied by wire A. In doing so it moves about axis 11 in the direction of arrow 12. During the travel of wire B from its lowermost position to its uppermost position, reference point Y thereon remains uppermost at all times as shown in FIG. 9. Thus continued rotation of the wires A and B about center 11 will cause wire B to return to its lowermost position in following the direction of arrow 10 and will cause wire A to return to its original position by following the direction shown by arrow 12. During all of the rotation, points X and Y on wires A and B, respectively, remain uppermost at all times to avoid twisting of the wires about their longitudinal axes. The foregoing is well known in the art but has merely been set forth here by way of background.

One embodiment of the improved wire twisting machine 14 of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1-4. This machine includes a stand or base 15 which includes a table top 16 mounted on legs 17 and a shelf 18 also extending between legs 17. In order to twist two wires A and B together, a first spool 19 having wire A coiled thereon is mounted on spindle 20 extending upwardly from the horizontal portion 21 of pedestal 22, the latter including a shaft 23 which is suitably journalled for rotation in standard 24 which is secured in fixed relationship to the underside of table top 16. The exact mechanism by which shaft 23 is journalled in standard 24 is identical to the manner in which shaft 60 of pedestal 58 is journalled, as will be described hereafter. Furthermore, spindle 20 is mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axes so as to permit spool 19 to rotate about its axis to play out wire A, as required. The structure for mounting spindle 20 is identical to the structure for mounting spindle 53, as will be described hereafter. Y

The wire A is fed through rotating cage or frame 25 which has spaced portions thereof journalled in upstanding spaced standards 26 and 27 which extend upwardly from a common base 28 suitably secured to table top 16 by connectors (not shown). In this respect ball bearing 29 and ball bearing 30 are provided, with ball bearing 29 having an outer race 31 secured to standard 26 and an inner race 32 secured to frame 25 with ball bearings 33 between the races. Ball bearing 30 includes an outer race 34 secured to standard 27 and an inner race 35 secured to frame 25 with ball bearings 36 between the races. As can be seen from FIG. 4, inner race 32 is slid onto cage 25 from the left until it abuts shoulder 37, and thereafter spacer 38 is slid on from the left followed by pulley 39 which is keyed to frame 25 at 40. An annular spacer 41 is mounted to the left of pulley 39, and situated to the left of spacer 41 is inner race 35, with the foregoing parts which are mounted on frame 25 being held in position by nut 42 which is mounted on threaded portion 43.

Wire A, which is played out from spool 19, enters opening 44 within frame 25 and then passes through opening 45 which is located at the center of annular insert 46 which is threaded into opening 44, as shown in FIG. 4. Opening 45 has a hardened metallic or ceramic insert 47 therein to resist wear which may be occasioned by the wire contacting the side of opening 45. Wire A thereafter passes through circular tube 48 which is driven into a mating opening 49 in frame 25 so that its lower left hand portion of tube 48 (FIG. 4) is in contiguous relationship to opening 45 to receive wire A therefrom. The upper end of tube 48 includes a hardened annular metallic or ceramic insert 49 held in position by coupling 50 which is threaded onto the end of tube 48, hardened insert 49 resisting the wear which may be occasioned by the passage of wire across the ends of tube 49 as the wire changes its direction.

Wire B, which is to be twisted with wire A, is played out from spool 51 which is mounted for rotation about the axis of its core 52 which is received on spindle 53 and locked in position by means of detent 54 at the top thereof, and this locking arrangement is used with respect to all of the other spools shown in the various figures, but which is not specifically described relative thereto. The lower end of spindle 53 is received in spaced bearings 55 and 56 having their outer races mounted within the horizontal portion 57 of pedestal 58 and their inner races secured to the lower end of spindle 53, with the assembly being secured in position by means of nut 59' which is suitably threaded onto spindle 53. A combined braking device and dust shield 55 is mounted on pedestal 58. In addition to shielding the bearings, it resists turning of spool 51, thereby maintaining wire B under tension. An identical device can be associated with spool 19, or any other suitable tensioning devices can be associated with the spools. At this point it is to be noted that the structure for mounting spindle 53, as described in detail above, is also used for mounting spindle 20, for which the exact mounting structure was not heretofore described.

Pedestal 58 is joumaled for rotation relative to frame 25 so that as the latter rotates, pedestal 58 may be maintained in a stationary position with spindle 53 in a vertical upright attitude as shown. In this respect, pedestal 58 includes a vertical portion 59 having a shaft 60 formed integrally therewith and extending horizontally therefrom in a direction away from spool 51. Shaft 60 is supported within cage 25 by means of spaced ball bearings 61 and 62, with the outer race 63 of bearing 61 being secured within opening 64 of cage 25 and the inner race 65 being mounted on collar 66 which is secured to shaft 60. The outer race 67 of bearing 62 is held within opening 68 of frame 25 with the inner race 69 being secured to shaft 60. Spacers 70 and 71 hold the spaced inner races and the spaced outer races, respectively, in axial spaced relationship and the foregoing assembly is held together by nut 72 which is threaded onto the threaded end portion 73 of shaft 60. The entire bearing assembly for shaft 60 is held within frame 25 by means of set screw 74. It will readily be appreciated that as frame 25 is rotated about its horizontal axis, pedestal 58 may remain stationary so as to maintain spindle 53 in an upright attitude. At this point it is to be noted that the structure for joumalling shaft 23 of pedestal 22 in standard 24 may be identical to the structure described above for journalling shaft 60 in frame 25. Therefore, this particular structure will not be described at this point in the interest of avoiding unnecessary repetition.

In order to twist wires A and B, wire A is carried bodily about wire B, while neither of the wires A nor B are twisted or rotated about their longitudinal axes, as explained above relative to FIG. 9. In order to effect the bodily rotation of wire A about wire B, frame 25 is rotated. In this respect an electric motor 75 is suitably mounted on shelf 18 and has a pulley 76 keyed to its output shaft 77. A belt 78 encircles pulley 76 and pulley 79 which is keyed to jack shaft 80 having spaced portions journalled in standards 81 and 82 which are secured to and depend downwardly from the underside of table top 16. Bearing 83 is journalled in standard 81 and bearing 84 is journalled in standard 82. A pulley 85 is keyed to shaft 80 and is encircled by belt 86, which also encircles pulley 39 keyed to frame 25, as described above. It can thus be seen that as frame 25 is rotated about its longitudinal axes, tube 48 will also revolve about the longitudinal axis of frame 25 and in so doing wire A emanating from the outer end of tube 48 will be carried bodily about wire B so that twisting can be effected, considering that spool 51 remains substantially stationary, as will be described in greater detail hereafter, except for the rotation about spindle 53 which is occasioned incidental to the playing out of wire B therefrom.

Wires A and B are led to head 88 which has a base portion 89' suitably mounted on table top 16 by any suitable connectors. Head 88 includes a rotatable sleeve member 89 which is journalled for rotation in spaced ball bearings 90 and 91, the outer races of which are mounted in base 88 and the inner races of which are secured to reduced portion 92 of sleeve 89, the securement being effected by means of a nut 93 which is threaded onto the end of sleeve portion 92 with a spacer 94 being situated between the inner races of the bearings, as shown, and the inner race of bearing 91 abutting a shoulder at the end of portion 92, as shown. Sleeve 89 houses a plate or insert 95 having spaced apertures 96 and 97 therein for receiving wires A and B, respectively. Plate 95 is held in position between shoulder 98 and nut 99, which is threaded into sleeve 89. Plate 95 is made of any suitable hardened metal or ceramic material so as to be able to withstand the abrasion occasioned by the passage of wires A and B through apertures 96 and 97 therein.

Sleeve 89 is rotated by pulley 100 which is keyed thereto and which mounts belt 101 which also encircles pulley 102 which is keyed to jack shaft 80. It is to be noted that pulleys 100 and 102 bear a 1:1 ratio and that pulleys 39 and 85 also bear a 1:1 ratio. This being the case, sleeve 89 will provide one complete rotation for every complete rotation of cage 25, and thus plate 95 will not in any way produce a twisting action but will merely maintain the wires A and B in the same relative orientation which they possess before they enter plate 95. In other words, because of the gearing arrangement described above, sleeve 89 rotates with cage 25 but does not rotate relative thereto.

Wires A and B are ultimately twisted into strand S within sleeve 89 (FIG. 4). This is effected because wires A and B, as strand S, are taken up on capstan 103 and idler pulley 112 associated therewith. Capstan 103 is keyed to shaft 104 extending out of gear box 105 mounted on shelf 106 having a portion 107 which is secured to the underside of table top 16. The input to gear box 105 is provided from jack shaft 80 via pulley 108 keyed to said jack shaft, pulley 109 keyed to gear box input shaft 110, and belt 111.

Depending on the ratios of pulleys 108 and 109 and the reduction provided by gear box 105, capstan 103 will rotate at a predetermined peripheral speed. The ratio between this speed of rotation and the speed of rotation of frame 25 will determine the pitch of the twist imparted to strand S. In other words, if capstan 103 rotates relatively fast with respect to frame 25, a relatively small number of twists per unit of length will be realized on strand S, and conversely if capstan 103 rotates relatively slow with respect to frame 25, there will be a relatively high number of twists per unit of length in strand S. It will also be appreciated that capstan 103 serves the additional function of holding the wires A and B against rotation once they become strand S so that as wire B is moved bodily about wire A, the twisting which is desired in order to fabricate strand S is realized. Furthermore, as is well known, the periphery of capstan 103 travels at a predetermined linear speed and the number of turns of strand S on capstan 103 are relatively small so that they lie only on the surface of the capstan and therefore the speed of the periphery of the capstan is imparted to the linear speed of strand S so that the pitch of the twist remains constant, which would not be the case if the diameter of capstan 103 were allowed to effectively increase by permitting the coiling of strand S thereon in numerous layers. The wire which is formed into strand S passes about idler pulley 112 mounted on shaft 113 which is journalled in standard 113' extending downwardly from base 106 and thereafter passes back up around capstan 103 and then around pulley 112 and back to capstan 103, the foregoing path being repeated for a few turns before finally leaving pulley 112. By virtue of the fact that strand S passes about capstan 103 and idler pulley 112 the linear desired feed of strand S is realized.

After strand S leaves idler pulley 112, it passes along guide roller 114 which is mounted on a gearing arrangement 1 14' which causes roller 1 14 to move in and out of the plane of FIG. 1 as the gearing arrangement is driven by pulley 115 so that roller 114 guides strand S onto spool 121 in layers. Pulley 115 is encircled by belt 116 which also encircles pulley 117 coaxially mounted on shaft 120 with pulley 118, the latter being driven by belt 1 19 which is driven by a suitable variable speed motor (not shown). By varying the speed of the motor which drives belt 119, the rate of take-up of strand S onto spool 121 can be controlled. It will be appreciated that a suitable slip-clutch device (not shown) is associated with the motor which drives belt 1 19 so as to maintain strand S under the proper tension as it is being wound onto spool 121, this being well known. It will be appreciated that the speed at which roller 114 plays back and forth is proportional to the speed of belt 1 1 9.

It will be appreciated that wires A and B should not be rotated about their longitudinal axes, as explained in conjunction with FIG. 9, in order to avoid twisting of these wires about their longitudinal axes which may cause undesirable hardening thereof as well as cracking of the insulation thereon. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain spindles and 53, which mount spools 19 and 51, respectively, in a fixed position while the wires A and B play out therefrom. This is achieved in accordance with the present invention by the use of a selsyn control system which includes an annular stator 123 secured to table top 16 (FIG. 1) operating in conjunction with an annular rotor 124 keyed to pedestal 58. This may be effected by keying a collar 125 to shaft 60 and affixing rotor 124 to collar 125. An output shaft 126 is suitably geared to jack shaft 80 by means of appropriate pulleys (not shown) so that it bears a predetermined speed with respect to jack shaft 80 and therefore bears a predetermined speed with respect to frame 25. Coupling 127 connects shaft 126 to the input of selsyn control unit 128 having output leads 129 emanating therefrom. A control knob 130 is provided on control unit 128 to adjust the output signal relative to the input signal received from rotating shaft 26. It will be appre ciated that the rotor 124 may be caused to remain stationary with respect to stator 123 in response to the signal from control 128, and therefore pedestal 58 which.

is fixedly secured to rotor 124 through collar 125 will remain stationary while frame rotates. Thus, spindle 53 which mounts spool 51 will be held stationary so that wire B being uncoiled therefrom will not rotate about its own axis while it is being fed to head 88.

A similar structure is provided for maintaining pedestal 22 stationary while wire A is uncoiled from spool 19 mounted thereon. In this respect, an additional selsyn unit 131 is provided which includes a stator 132 secured against rotation to table top 16 and a rotor 133 secured fixedly to shaft 23 of pedestal 22 by means of collar 134. In other words, rotor 133 is keyed to pedestal 22. The same output from shaft 126 is fed into control unit 135 for selsyn unit 131 through coupling member 136 which is effectively connected to shaft 126 by a suitable setting of the control knob 137 on selsyn control unit 135. The signal which is transmitted to stator 132 through wires 138 will be such as to maintain rotor 133 stationary to thereby hold spindle 20 stationary to therefore prevent wire A from rotating about its own axis as it is uncoiled from spool 19.

As can best be seen from FIG. 1, a gap 140 exists between stator 123 and rotor 124. Tube 48 through which wire A is guided passes through gap 140 so that it can travel circumferentially about rotor 124 as frame 25 rotates, it being appreciated that gap 140 is annular in nature.

It will be appreciated that incidental to the twisting action of wires A and B into strand S they may tend to twist about their own longitudinal axes contrary to the action which is desired, as described above relative to FIG. 9. In this respect, for example, point X on wire A may possibly start drifting in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction and this may be true also with respect to point Y on wire B. This drifting may be tolerated up to a certain point but beyond that it is objectionable because it could possibly affect the characteristic of the wire or it could crack the insulation thereon. Accordingly the selsyn system described above with respect to FIGS. 1 to 4 can be used to compensate for such drifting or precession of either or both of the wires. More specifically, if it is found that wire B which is being uncoiled from spool 51 tends to rotate or drift about its longitudinal axis in a predetermined direction, it is merely necessary to adjust the control knob on selsyn control unit 128 to cause rotor 124 to rotate in the appropriate direction so as to cause spool 51 to rotate about the axis of shaft 60 in order to compensate for the drift. This can be done in either direction so that as the wire drifts in either direction it can be compensated for. The same is true with respect to wire A which is being uncoiled from spool 19. In this respect, if it is seen that wire A tends to rotate about its longitudinal axis in a given direction, the control knob 137 on selsyn control unit can be adjusted to cause the pedestal 58 to rotate about its axis 23 in a compensating direction either forward or reverse by driving rotor 133 in the required direction. This will cause any tendency for twisting of wire A about its longitudinal axis to be compensated for.

In view of the fact that separate selsyn controls 128 and 135 are provided, it will be appreciated that if for example wire A tends to rotate about its axis in a first direction and wire B tends to rotate about its longitudinal axis in an opposite direction, the selsyn control units can be adjusted to cause one of the pedestals 58 and 22 to rotate in one direction and the other in the opposite direction so that the rotation of the wires about their longitudinal axes is compensated for. Furthermore, if both wires A and B tend to rotate in the same direction about their longitudinal axes, then the compensation is effected by causing rotors 124 and 133 to rotate in the same direction in a compensating direction.

It can thus be seen that the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4 possesses a number of advantages in that the pedestals on which the spools of wire being uncoiled are controlled without a direct mechanical connection thereto, that is, their connection is through the air gap between the stator and the rotor of a selsyn unit. By virtue of this type of control, the pedestals may be held perfectly stationary if the wires being uncoiled therefrom do not have a tendency to rotate around about their longitudinal axes, or they can be rotated slowly in a direction reverse to the direction of rotation of the wire so as to compensate for the direction in which wires A and B may be rotating about their longitudinal axes.

In FIGS. 5 and 6 an alternate embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. Insofar as pertinent here, all of the drive elements below table top 16 may be identical to that described above with respect to FIGS. 1 to 4, and these are omitted from FIG. 5 in the interest of brevity. Furthermore, elements of structure which are common to the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 on one hand and FIGS. 1 to 4 on the other hand will also not be described in the interest of brevity. It will thus be appreciated that cage or frame 25 of FIG. 5 is identical to frame 25 of FIGS. 1 to 4, as is the drive therefor. It is to be noted furthermore that the take-up for strand S and the mechanism for twisting wires A and B is identical to that shown in the preceding Figures. The primary difference in FIG. 5 and 6 over FIGS. 14 is that the selsyn units are not used in conjunction with spools 141 and 51. In this respect, spool 141 is mounted for rotation about spindle 142 which is journalled for rotation on bearings in an identical manner to that shown relative to spindle 53 of FIG. 4. Spindle 142 extends upwardly from base 143 which is attached to table top 16. As noted above, wire A passes through frame 25 and tube 48 prior to being received in head 88. Spool 51 is mounted on a spindle 53, as described in detail above relative to FIG. 4, spindle 53 being joumalled for rotation on horizontal portion 57 of pedestal 58 in the manner shown in detail in FIG. 4. However, it is to be noted that pedestal 58 has a vertical wall 59 from which a shaft 60 extends rearwardly and this shaft is journalled for rotation relative to frame 25 in the manner described in detail above relative to FIG. 4, this structure being omitted from this particular drawing in the interest of clarity, and not being again described at this point in the interest of brevity.

By virtue of the configuration of pedestal 58, when spool 51 is mounted thereon, it will assume an upright attitude as shown in FIGS. and 6 under the influence of gravity. In other words, the force of gravity will cause it to rotate to the position shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. It will be appreciated that when frame 25 rotates, if the force of gravity is sufficiently great on pedestal 58, it will not rotate with frame 25 because of the ball bearing mounting between the pedestal 58 and frame 25. Thus, there is a gravity stabilization against the pedestal rotating about the axis of shaft 60 which mounts it on cage 25. However, in order to insure that pedestal 58 is not rotated with frame 25, a detecting system is provided which includes an electric eye unit including a transmitter 146 and a receiver 147, which is suitably connected to electric drive motor 75, such as shown in FIG. 1, to stop the drive to cage 25 in the event that spool 51 should-rotate in the direction of arrow 148 more than a predetermined amount. In this respect, a mirror or reflecting member 149 of circular arcuate shape is secured to horizontal portion 57 of pedestal 58, and if for any reason pedestal 58 should rotate beyond a certain point in the direction of arrow 148 about the center 150 of shaft 60, the light beam 151 will not be reflected by mirror 149 and will not be received by receiver 147 so as to cause electric motor 75 to terminate operation. It will be appreciated that the detecting system described above may be incorporated into any of the embodiments of the present invention to function as a safety control. The reason that pedestal 58 will assume the attitude shown inFIGS. 5 and 6 under the influence of gravity is because the main weight of the pedestal plus the spool mounted thereon is below the center of shaft 60, and therefore the pedestal will gravitate to this position. In the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6 it can be seen that pedestal 58 is maintained in a stationary position without any mechanical couplings required to do this while tube 48, which is driven by cage 25, revolves about spool 51 so as to produce the twisted strand S as described in detail above. Wire A will clear pedestal 58 and electric eye unit 146-147.

In FIGS. 7 and 8 a further embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. Insofar as pertinent here, various elements of this embodiment may be identical to that described above with respect to FIGS. 1 to 4 and like numerals will indicate like parts and a detailed description will not be made in the interest of brevity. It will be appreciated that the structure shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is identical in all respects to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 except for the differences which will be enumerated hereafter and/or shown in the drawings. First of all it is to be noted that pedestal 58 is mounted on frame 25 in the same manner described in detail relative to FIG. 4 so that it may remain stationary while frame 25 rotates around it. However, an armature 154 of an electromagnet system is attached to the horizontal leg 57 of pedestal 58 and this armature is of arcuate shape. The stator 155 of the electromagnet is secured to table top 16 and is suitably connected to an electric source through leads 156. It will be appreciated that by energizing the electromagnet the armature 154 will assume the orientation shown in FIG. 8 and it will be held this way as long as electricity is being supplied to the stator 155. It will be appreciated that tube 48 will rotate with frame 25 and that wire A which emanates from the end of tube 48 will be guided through the gap 157 between rotor 154 and stator 155. It is to be especially noted that tube 148 does not extend through the gap, but merely the taut wire, the ends of which are supported by the bearing member 49 at the end of tube 48 and the plate 95 in head 88 of FIG. 4.

With the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the tendency of rotation of wire B along its longitudinal axes cannot be compensated for because there is no way of imparting a steady rotation to the shaft 60 which mounts pedestal 58. Shaft 60 will rotate only during the travel of spindle 53 from a vertical attitude shown in FIG. 7 to the inclined attitude of FIG. 8. It will be noted, however, that if wire A tends to rotate about its longitudinal axis, this can be compensated for by rotating pedestal 22 about the axis of shaft 160 which is joumalled in pedestal 161 secured to table top 16 by foot 162. In this respect pedestal 122 mounts a spindle 20 in the same manner as described above, by means of bearings such as shown relative to spindle 53 in FIG. 4. This permits spindle 20 to turn as wire A is played out from spool 19. Belt 78 which leads from motor 75 (FIG. 4) encircles pulley 79 on jack shaft 80 which also mounts an additional pulley 163 which is encircled by belt 164 which in turn encircles pulley 165 keyed to shaft 166 extending out of gear box 167 which is suitably secured to foot 62. The output of gear box 167 is at shaft 168 which has pulley 169 keyed thereon which is encircled by belt 170 which drives pulley 171 which is keyed to shaft 160. If gear box 160 is set to a null position, output shaft 168 will not rotate and therefore shaft 160 will not rotate and pedestal 22 will remain stationary. However, if there is a tendency for wire A to drift or rotate about its longitudinal axes, then a compensating turning motion can be supplied to shaft 160 by proper resetting of the indicator 172 on gear box 167 so that spool 19 will be rotated about the axis of shaft 160 at a rate which will compensate for the amount which wire A tends to rotate about its longitudinal axis.

It will thus be seen that by the use of the various embodiments of the present invention the wire mounting spools can be held relatively stationary without any mechanical connections for performing this. In addition, in certain embodiments, one or both of the spools can be caused to rotate in a direction to compensate for any twisting which the wires A and B experience about their longitudinal axes as they are being unwound.

While the various embodiments discussed above are shown to contain only two spools of wire, it will be appreciated that any number of spools can be used to provide strands of more than two wires, in accordance with the teaching set forth in copending application, Ser.

No. 68,358, filed Aug. 31, 1970, which is incorporated here by reference.

What is claimed is:

1. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means including magnetic means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotating except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, and third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wire from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates, said magnetic means comprising a selsyn unit including a stator and a rotor, means mounting said rotor on said second means, and means mounting said stator in spaced relationship to said rotor with a space therebetween for permitting said first length of wire to pass therethrough as said frame rotates.

2. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 1 including bearing means for mounting said second means on said frame so as to permit said frame to rotate freely relative to said second means.

3. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein said guide means includes a guide tube through which said first length of wirepasses, and means on said frame for positioning said guide tube in said space between said rotor and stator for guiding said first length of wire therebetween.

4. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein said stator is in the form of an annular ring surrounding said rotor.

5. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 1 including control means operatively coupled to said selsyn unit for selectively producing rotation between said stator and rotor to compensate for the twisting of said second length of wire about its own axis.

6. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first means comprises second bearing means for mounting said first means for rotation, and a second selsyn system including a second rotor mounted on said second means and a second stator operatively associated with said rotor.

7. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 6 including second control means operatively coupled to said second selsyn system for selectively producing rotation between said second stator and second rotor to compensate for the twisting of said second length of wire about its own axis.

8. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first means comprises .second bearing means for mounting said first means for rotation, and drive means for imparting rotation to said first means for rotating said first spool to compensate for the twisting of said first length of wire about its own axis.

9. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said'second means including magnetic means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, and third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for Withdrawing said first and second lengths of wires from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates, said magnetic means including a magnetic member, a space between said magnetic member and a portion of said second means for permitting said first length of wire to pass therethrough during rotation of said frame, said magnetic member comprising a magnet and said magnetic means including magnetic material on said second means for attraction by said magnet, said first means comprising second bearing means for mounting said first means for rotation, and drive means for imparting rotation to said first means for rotating said first spool to compensate for the twisting of said first length of wire about its own axis.

10. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 9 wherein said drive means comprises a mechanical drive coupled to said first means, and means for coordinating said mechanical drive with the speed of rotation of said frame.

11. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means including magnetic means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, and third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wires from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates, said magnetic means including a magnetic member, a space between said magnetic member and a portion of said second means for permitting said first length of wire to pass therethrough during rotation of said frame, said magnetic member comprising a magnet and said magnetic means including magnetic material on said second means for attraction by said magnet, said first means comprising a spindle mounted on said base for permitting rotation of said first spool only in a direction which permits unwinding of said first length of wire therefrom.

12. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means including means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wires from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates, and fourth means for selectively imparting rotation to one of said spools only to produce a rotation of the wire being unwound therefrom about its longitudinal axis to compensate for the twisting of said wire about its axis.

13. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 12 including fifth means for imparting rotation to the other of said spools independently of the rotation im parted to said one of said spools to produce a rotation of the wire being unwound from said other of said spools about its own axis to compensate for the twisting of said wire about its axis.

14. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means being of a configuration so as to be attracted by gravity and thus held against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wires from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates and detecting means operatively associated with said second means for detecting when said second means rotates beyond a predetermined amount.

15. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 14 including bearing means for mounting said second means on said frame so as to permit said frame to rotate freely relative to said second means, and wherein said configuration of said second means includes an offset for causing said second means to assume and substantially maintain a predetermined position under the infiuence of gravity while said frame rotates freely about said second means. 

1. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means including magnetic means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotating except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, and third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wire from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates, said magnetic means comprising a selsyn unit including a stator and a rotor, means mounting said rotor on said second means, and means mounting said stator in spaced relationship to said rotor with a space therebetween for permitting said first length of wire to pass therethrough as said frame rotates.
 2. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 1 including bearing means for mounting said second means on said frame so as to permit said frame to rotate freely relative To said second means.
 3. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 2 wherein said guide means includes a guide tube through which said first length of wire passes, and means on said frame for positioning said guide tube in said space between said rotor and stator for guiding said first length of wire therebetween.
 4. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 3 wherein said stator is in the form of an annular ring surrounding said rotor.
 5. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 1 including control means operatively coupled to said selsyn unit for selectively producing rotation between said stator and rotor to compensate for the twisting of said second length of wire about its own axis.
 6. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first means comprises second bearing means for mounting said first means for rotation, and a second selsyn system including a second rotor mounted on said second means and a second stator operatively associated with said rotor.
 7. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 6 including second control means operatively coupled to said second selsyn system for selectively producing rotation between said second stator and second rotor to compensate for the twisting of said second length of wire about its own axis.
 8. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 5 wherein said first means comprises second bearing means for mounting said first means for rotation, and drive means for imparting rotation to said first means for rotating said first spool to compensate for the twisting of said first length of wire about its own axis.
 9. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means including magnetic means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, and third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wires from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates, said magnetic means including a magnetic member, a space between said magnetic member and a portion of said second means for permitting said first length of wire to pass therethrough during rotation of said frame, said magnetic member comprising a magnet and said magnetic means including magnetic material on said second means for attraction by said magnet, said first means comprising second bearing means for mounting said first means for rotation, and drive means for imparting rotation to said first means for rotating said first spool to compensate for the twisting of said first length of wire about its own axis.
 10. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 9 wherein said drive means comprises a mechanical drive coupled to said first means, and means for coordinating said mechanical drive with the speed of rotation of said frame.
 11. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantiAl rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means including magnetic means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, and third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wires from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates, said magnetic means including a magnetic member, a space between said magnetic member and a portion of said second means for permitting said first length of wire to pass therethrough during rotation of said frame, said magnetic member comprising a magnet and said magnetic means including magnetic material on said second means for attraction by said magnet, said first means comprising a spindle mounted on said base for permitting rotation of said first spool only in a direction which permits unwinding of said first length of wire therefrom.
 12. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means including means for supporting said second spool against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of said first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wires from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates, and fourth means for selectively imparting rotation to one of said spools only to produce a rotation of the wire being unwound therefrom about its longitudinal axis to compensate for the twisting of said wire about its axis.
 13. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 12 including fifth means for imparting rotation to the other of said spools independently of the rotation imparted to said one of said spools to produce a rotation of the wire being unwound from said other of said spools about its own axis to compensate for the twisting of said wire about its axis.
 14. A wire twisting machine comprising a base, a frame, means rotatably mounting said frame relative to said base, means for rotating said frame, first means for mounting a first spool containing a first length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said first means including means for supporting said first spool against substantial rotation except incidental to unwinding of said first length of wire from said first spool, second means for supporting a second spool containing a second length of wire wound thereon relative to said frame, said second means being of a configuration so as to be attracted by gravity and thus held against substantial rotation except incidental to the unwinding of said second length of wire from said second spool, guide means on said frame for guiding the unwinding portion of saId first length of wire for movement with said frame about said second spool during rotation of said frame, third means for holding portions of said first and second lengths of wire which are remote from said first and second spools and for withdrawing said first and second lengths of wires from said first and second spools to thereby effect twisting of said first and second lengths of wires as said frame rotates and detecting means operatively associated with said second means for detecting when said second means rotates beyond a predetermined amount.
 15. A wire twisting machine as set forth in claim 14 including bearing means for mounting said second means on said frame so as to permit said frame to rotate freely relative to said second means, and wherein said configuration of said second means includes an offset for causing said second means to assume and substantially maintain a predetermined position under the influence of gravity while said frame rotates freely about said second means. 